A League of Her Own
He was attractive, talented…and way off limits.
Heather Gadway may have been a world-class college pitcher and a top university coach, but she's a rank amateur when it comes to managing the Falcons, her father's struggling minor league team. And when it comes to managing her aggravating attraction to Garrett Wolf, their talented new pitcher. It's going to be difficult enough to make it as the first female manager in the league and prove to her overly critical father she's worthy. No distractions. No missteps. And certainly no romances with players. Everything stands between them—including their troubled pasts—even as Heather's world falls apart and Garrett's the one who's there to catch her…
“Are you ready?” She dropped a bag by the backstop, pulled out a blue visor and adjusted it over her head. When she swept off her glasses and peered up at him, his stomach jittered and his breath hitched. He reined in his slipping control and forced an easy smile.
“Sure. Would you like to pitch first?” He wanted her to say yes. Going last meant he could guarantee his score only topped hers slightly, just enough to make Holly Springs dust in his tire treads and Heather a dream that’d never materialize.
She angled her head so that her long ponytail slid over her tanned shoulders. The smile she gave him was as sweet as freshly squeezed lemonade, minus the sugar. “I’d like to observe you first, if you’d don’t mind.”
“Observe me?” The question leaped out of him in surprise.
She finished a gulp of her sports drink and lowered it, looking him dead in the eye. “So I can finish taking notes on you.”
He nearly swallowed the sunflower shell he’d just popped in his mouth. Her ego must be out of control if she thought he’d lose. He flexed his fingers and nodded curtly. “It’s your prerogative.”
Dean’s red hair appeared in the dugout, and he jogged around the fence, pulling on his catcher’s mask. “Sorry I’m late!” He dropped two bags of balls beside home plate and squatted behind it. “Who’s pitching first?”
“Looks like me.” Garrett sauntered toward the red clay mound, ignoring his jeering teammates.
“Whatever you do, don’t pretend you’re in a game or you’ll definitely lose,” heckled Hopson, whose comment earned a round of chuckles from the team.
“Go get ’em, wild thing,” put in Waitman, who did an impromptu dance Garrett caught out of the corner of his eye. The rest of the crowd joined in, laughing.
“Ignore them, Wolf.” Dean punched his mitt, his nearly colorless eyes squinting against the sun.
Garrett shrugged. “Who? I don’t hear anything but some whining gnats.” This was actually going to be fun. Pitching contests meant no batters. Nothing but mitt. And his throws would strike it every single time.
“Ohhhhhhhhhhh! That hurt,” guffawed another player, and some made boo-hoo sounds.
“Knock it off, Falcons,” snapped Heather, and the rowdy bunch subsided. Even Garrett gaped at her, surprised. Her voice might be low, but it demanded attention.
“Sorry, Skipper,” murmured the new shortstop. A few kissy noises erupted, then stopped when she turned her head and stared hard into the dugout.
“Thank you, Valdez. As for the rest of you, stay and act like the professionals you are, or leave before I ask you to. All right?” She leaned her defined arms on the padded top of the dugout fence, her shapely ankles crossed. But her casual pose didn’t fool him. She was deliberately acting like this to make him believe her victory was a foregone conclusion. It was the oldest trick in the book. She’d need to do a lot better than that if she hoped to best him.
“Ready whenever you are,” she said, her voice flippant, her lips turned up in a ready-for-anything smile.
by Karen Rock
Adult Contemporary Romance
Large print & ebook, 312 Pages
December 1st, 2014 by Harlequin Heartwarming
Large print & ebook, 312 Pages
Summary
He was attractive, talented…and way off limits.
Heather Gadway may have been a world-class college pitcher and a top university coach, but she's a rank amateur when it comes to managing the Falcons, her father's struggling minor league team. And when it comes to managing her aggravating attraction to Garrett Wolf, their talented new pitcher. It's going to be difficult enough to make it as the first female manager in the league and prove to her overly critical father she's worthy. No distractions. No missteps. And certainly no romances with players. Everything stands between them—including their troubled pasts—even as Heather's world falls apart and Garrett's the one who's there to catch her…
My Review
I think that A League of Her Own was my favorite of Karen Rock's books to date. I absolutely loved the chemistry between the two main characters! I also loved that it revolved around baseball and a female manager. There was a strong sense of family with Heather while Garrett's past merged with his present as he works with the foster home. They both had serious issues with addiction/substance abuse in their pasts that played a heavy role, but which also added a lot of depth to the story.
There was such a great cast of characters in this book. I loved how unsure and insecure Heather was while also being a spit-fire, sweet, and talented woman. I loved how Garrett was willing to meet his challenges, that he was willing to go after what he wanted, and find ways to make up for his regrets. I also enjoyed getting to know the other baseball players on the team and Levi (one of the local foster kids). The friendships and camaraderie were great! Then there was the romance... Sweet, but not too sweet. It didn't take over the story. Really, it was pretty much perfect.
I did feel that Heather's issues with her mother were resolved too easily and that the small-town atmosphere could have been stronger, but these would be the only things that I wanted more of.
I pretty much read this story in one sitting and enjoyed every minute of it. Well, except for where I almost cried... It was tough going a little bit there when Heather got back from her run... Any author who can pull the emotions from me like that has done a great job. The plot was well balanced between the characters' struggles, the friendships and joking around, the relationships forged between the foster boys and the team, and the romance.
If you're looking for a sweet, heartfelt, and fun contemporary romance, A League of Her Own definitely fits. It had everything I was looking for and then some.
Content: Clean
Source: From the author through the tour host and NetGalley, which did not affect my review in any way.
There was such a great cast of characters in this book. I loved how unsure and insecure Heather was while also being a spit-fire, sweet, and talented woman. I loved how Garrett was willing to meet his challenges, that he was willing to go after what he wanted, and find ways to make up for his regrets. I also enjoyed getting to know the other baseball players on the team and Levi (one of the local foster kids). The friendships and camaraderie were great! Then there was the romance... Sweet, but not too sweet. It didn't take over the story. Really, it was pretty much perfect.
I did feel that Heather's issues with her mother were resolved too easily and that the small-town atmosphere could have been stronger, but these would be the only things that I wanted more of.
I pretty much read this story in one sitting and enjoyed every minute of it. Well, except for where I almost cried... It was tough going a little bit there when Heather got back from her run... Any author who can pull the emotions from me like that has done a great job. The plot was well balanced between the characters' struggles, the friendships and joking around, the relationships forged between the foster boys and the team, and the romance.
If you're looking for a sweet, heartfelt, and fun contemporary romance, A League of Her Own definitely fits. It had everything I was looking for and then some.
Content: Clean
Source: From the author through the tour host and NetGalley, which did not affect my review in any way.
Excerpt
“Are you ready?” She dropped a bag by the backstop, pulled out a blue visor and adjusted it over her head. When she swept off her glasses and peered up at him, his stomach jittered and his breath hitched. He reined in his slipping control and forced an easy smile.
“Sure. Would you like to pitch first?” He wanted her to say yes. Going last meant he could guarantee his score only topped hers slightly, just enough to make Holly Springs dust in his tire treads and Heather a dream that’d never materialize.
She angled her head so that her long ponytail slid over her tanned shoulders. The smile she gave him was as sweet as freshly squeezed lemonade, minus the sugar. “I’d like to observe you first, if you’d don’t mind.”
“Observe me?” The question leaped out of him in surprise.
She finished a gulp of her sports drink and lowered it, looking him dead in the eye. “So I can finish taking notes on you.”
He nearly swallowed the sunflower shell he’d just popped in his mouth. Her ego must be out of control if she thought he’d lose. He flexed his fingers and nodded curtly. “It’s your prerogative.”
Dean’s red hair appeared in the dugout, and he jogged around the fence, pulling on his catcher’s mask. “Sorry I’m late!” He dropped two bags of balls beside home plate and squatted behind it. “Who’s pitching first?”
“Looks like me.” Garrett sauntered toward the red clay mound, ignoring his jeering teammates.
“Whatever you do, don’t pretend you’re in a game or you’ll definitely lose,” heckled Hopson, whose comment earned a round of chuckles from the team.
“Go get ’em, wild thing,” put in Waitman, who did an impromptu dance Garrett caught out of the corner of his eye. The rest of the crowd joined in, laughing.
“Ignore them, Wolf.” Dean punched his mitt, his nearly colorless eyes squinting against the sun.
Garrett shrugged. “Who? I don’t hear anything but some whining gnats.” This was actually going to be fun. Pitching contests meant no batters. Nothing but mitt. And his throws would strike it every single time.
“Ohhhhhhhhhhh! That hurt,” guffawed another player, and some made boo-hoo sounds.
“Knock it off, Falcons,” snapped Heather, and the rowdy bunch subsided. Even Garrett gaped at her, surprised. Her voice might be low, but it demanded attention.
“Sorry, Skipper,” murmured the new shortstop. A few kissy noises erupted, then stopped when she turned her head and stared hard into the dugout.
“Thank you, Valdez. As for the rest of you, stay and act like the professionals you are, or leave before I ask you to. All right?” She leaned her defined arms on the padded top of the dugout fence, her shapely ankles crossed. But her casual pose didn’t fool him. She was deliberately acting like this to make him believe her victory was a foregone conclusion. It was the oldest trick in the book. She’d need to do a lot better than that if she hoped to best him.
“Ready whenever you are,” she said, her voice flippant, her lips turned up in a ready-for-anything smile.
About the Author
Karen Rock is an award-winning YA and adult contemporary romance author. She holds a master’s degree in English and worked as an ELA instructor before becoming a full-time writer. Currently she writes for Harlequin Heartwarming and her first novel for the line, WISH ME TOMORROW, has won the 2014 Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence, the 2014 Golden Quill Contest and a finalist in the Published Maggie Awards. The first novel in her co-authored YA series, CAMP BOYFRIEND, has been a finalist in the Booksellers Best and Golden Leaf awards.
Tour-Wide & Individual Giveaways
- $100 Amazon gift card (INT)
- Set of signed paperbacks of Wish Me Tomorrow, His Hometown Girl, Someone Like You and A League of Her Own (US only)
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Thanks so much for this beautiful review, Tressa!! I'm so honored to be hosted by your wonderful blog today :) Wishing you Happy Holidays and New Year ahead. <3
ReplyDeleteGreat review Tressa! I really enjoyed this one as well! That scene were Heather got back from her run was hard to read indeed, I could hardly believe that was actually happening. I liked how this book managed to deal with some heavy issues and still feeling like a happy read as well. And I learned so much more about baseball thanks to this book!
ReplyDeleteGreat review and giveaway! :)
ReplyDeleteGreat review! Makes me want to pick it up!
ReplyDeleteI had to come see your review now that mine is posted. We do touch on some of the same things. I very much enjoyed this book and will take your recommendation and check out her other books.
ReplyDeleteRe:
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